


May, 2008

by ussnicole



Series: Welcome to Suburbia [8]
Category: Chunk! No Captain Chunk! (Band)
Genre: Band, Bert just wants to leave town, F/M, Get Lost Find Yourself, In Friends We Trust, Restlessness, Running, Songfic, Suburbia, Taking Chances, angsty 20 year olds, pop punk - Freeform, starting a band, worst case scenario
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-01-31 03:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12666921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ussnicole/pseuds/ussnicole
Summary: Wanderlust in Suburbia.Bert never meant to stay in one place for so long.





	1. In Friends We Trust

Bert fumbled with the knob on the door to his garage, hands full of long necked beer bottles. Finally he gave up and used one of them to tap at the door until someone opened it for him, grabbing three of the beers out of his hands and ushering him in. It was nearly nine at night and the garage door was open to the street; they had stopped practicing songs hours ago. Their instruments were silent, put in stands or abandoned in favor of the worn out couch that Bert and Eric had dragged out.

Mathias was perched on the armrest, reaching out for one of the beers. Paul, who had opened the door for Bert, handed Mathias a beer and then kept the other two, falling down on the couch next to Jonathan. Jonathan reached for the other beer but Paul slapped his hand away, laughing.

“Not for lazy asses.” Jonathan dropped his hand and glared at Paul jokingly, reaching out to slap him on the side of the head.

“Fuck off.”

“Now you really can’t have it,” Paul taunted, turning away to open his bottle and take a long swig. Eric kicked out from his perch on a worn out ottoman, hitting Paul lightly in the shin.

“Oh, give him the beer, Paul,” Eric told him, and finally Paul relented.

Mathias and Jonathan resumed their conversation about the soccer match scheduled for that night: Chelsea versus Manchester United. Jonathan was a staunch supporter of Chelsea, and Mathias was a loyal Man U fan. They often argued over the teams, but it was a friendly rivalry and not one that they let come between them.

Bert just sat back on the floor with his back against the ottoman, watching his friends and drinking his beer pensively. Listening to the friendly banter and small talk, Bert smiled slightly as he brought his bottle to his lips. He had hated their town, wanted to leave for a long time, but these four boys kept him here. The promise of being able to leave once the band got bigger was too good to be true, so he stayed and poured his heart into the music.

To be fair, Eric was his brother and would probably kill him if he ran off, but still. Of course, Bert was well aware that if he said anything to his friends he’d never hear the end of it. He just kept silent, enjoying the company. For the time being, it’s enough.


	2. Taking Chances

“I want to get out of here,” Bert sighed, flopped on the floor in Mathias’ house. He and Eric were there hanging out, waiting for Jonathan to get off work and Paul to come back from a date with his latest fling. Mathias was used to Bert blurting out the first thing that came to mind, so he didn’t take offense.

“Get out then, see if I care,” he retorted dryly, pointing to the door. “Don’t let it hit you.” Bert laughed and then tilted his head back to see Mathias, who was slouched on the couch playing a video game. He toggled his thumbs wildly, muttering under his breath before throwing the controller down and flipping off the television.

“That’s not what I meant.” Bert looked to Eric, who had snatched the controller and started a new game. Eric glanced down at him for a second, shrugging, and then focused back on killing enemies and yelling “DIE!” while mashing buttons.

Bert just sighed and stared up at the ceiling. What he had really meant was leave town, get out of the black hole that was Suburbia. No one ever made it here; not since Of Mice & Men and All Time Low, and they had played back in the 80s. And they had left town to make it big anyway. But here Bert was, stuck in a house on Logan Circle and 3rd Street, playing songs for friends and sparse audiences at the club downtown.

After a few minutes, Bert grabbed his sweatshirt and headed out the door, telling Eric and Mathias that he would be back later. They were concerned when he did not show up for band practice, but when Eric went home at around midnight Bert was curled up on the couch, fast asleep.


	3. Worst Case Scenario

Of course, when Bert was gone the next morning they all started to worry. Bert had scraped up the cash he usually kept stashed in a box on his bedside table, leaving a note that he’d be back in a few weeks. He didn’t say where he was going, or why. Eric was sick with worry, and the whole band was fairly angry that he had just up and left without telling them where he was going.

Bert was long gone by the time they started looking around town. He had gotten up at 3 in the morning, packed a bag, and walked to Parkway Drive, catching the next bus out of town. He had headphones shoved in his ears, blasting music, and he closed his eyes as he leaned his head against the cool glass of the window. It began to rain lightly and water beaded, glass fogging as he breathed in and out steadily.

By ten o’clock in the morning, the bus hit the California-Oregon border, and Bert got off. He meandered around the small town there, but grew bored and was back on the road the next morning after a fitful night’s sleep on a cold bench in a small neighborhood park. Luckily the rain held off and he was able to stay dry, but the night left a chill in his bones that propelled Bert back towards his family and friends. He spent the next week catching rides from strangers on the highway back to Suburbia, walking when no cars were driving by.

When Bert got back home, Eric gave him the cold shoulder for a month and Mathias, Jonathan, and Paul were livid. No matter how many times they asked, he wouldn’t tell them why he left, but he started drinking more often and pouring himself into writing lyrics. He stopped talking about leaving town, but he pushed them all to work on their songs until they were perfect, keeping the hope of making it in the music industry alive for all of them.


	4. Get Lost, Find Yourself

“Hey, I don’t want to drive anymore,” Bert complained, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders. Mathias was in the passenger seat of the van next to him, but he was fast asleep. Paul and Eric were in the second row of seats playing slapjack on the seat with a ratty deck of cards, and Jonathan was also asleep, splayed out on the row of seats behind them and using a guitar case as a pillow.

It was their first tour, going up to Washington with a few other bands. They had been so excited when they were able to afford their tour van, and even if it wasn’t the most glamorous way to travel they were all just glad to be on the road for their music.

“Pull off at the next exit and I’ll drive,” Paul offered, not looking up from the card game. Bert eyed him in the rearview mirror and then rolled his eyes. The next exit wouldn’t be for another twenty miles, and his wrists were stiff. All things considered, Bert was pretty happy though. Staying in Suburbia waiting around for fate to decide how he was going to live his life was slowly killing Bert, and chasing a dream on the road made him feel truly alive.

He only hoped he wouldn’t have to run forever.


End file.
